The Newport-Mesa school district board recognized some top student athletes at its Tuesday meeting, including Newport Harbor High School cheer team and NHHS and Corona del Mar High School athletes.
The cheer team received special commendation from the board for their big wins at a national competition, the Sharp International Cheerleading Championships, in April. The NHHS Pep Squad teams won top place in both the varsity cheer and mascot divisions, as well as second place in the varsity pom pom dance division.
The NHHS cheer team also won the overall Grand Championship Award.
The squad competed against more than 20 other high schools at the event, which is the largest competition for cheer, dance, drill, hip hop, military, pep flags, color guard and tall flags
The student athletes that were honored at the board meeting were CIF Southern Section champions in various divisions.
The top place earners include Ethan Cochran from Newport Harbor High School in Division 2, Discus Throwing Championship; Corona del Mar High School’s Boys Golf Team in the CIF South Coast Divisional Golf Championship; and CdM’s Boys Lacrosse Team in Orange County Lacrosse Championship and Southern Section Lacrosse Championship.
“The Southern Section is one of the most competitive divisions in the state of California and we are proud to honor these students for their achievements,” the staff report stated.
Getting down to business, the trustees approved several tech, maintenance and support contracts for Newport-Mesa Unified School District on Tuesday, as well as making a few special recognitions.
A few of the agreements include $1,425 with DigiCert, Inc., for a three-year SSL certificate, $5,344 with Synegi for e-mail spam filtering for three years, $25,064 with Follett Software to track library books and textbooks for one year, and a combined $62,332 with Advanced Toolware, Black Box, Eudpoint, Power Admin, and Xerox for various information and technology related maintenance and support.
The board also approved a $206,000 software license agreement with CDW Government for Stoneware Unified Cloud Platform software, which “allows IT to provide users with access to their files, applications, and reports from a module called ‘webDesktop’. The ‘LanSchool’ module provides classroom management and monitoring software known for being reliable, simple, and easy-to-use,” according to the staff report.
The board also approved an agreement requiring the Ruzika Company to provide the theatrical stage lighting plot plans, equipment lists and cost estimates for all three of the new district performing arts theaters.
According to the staff report, the agreement is not to exceed $6,000, plus reimbursables, allowed per the contract.
The Ruzika Company is a professional lighting and theater planning consultant that specializes in performing arts facilities and consulted for the Costa Mesa High School theater project. The district expanded to other school theaters to “provide equity throughout the district,” according to the staff report.
The company will review existing conditions and stage lighting at Newport Harbor High School, review design plans for architectural stage and lighting system at Corona del Mar High School, conduct design and equipment research studies for all theater facilities, prepare initial repertory stage lighting plots and CAD drafted stage lighting plots for CdM and NHHS, prepare an opinion of probable costs for all new stage lighting equipment, and more. The entire scope of work list can be reviewed on the school board agenda on the district website.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, the school district updated the community and the board with the latest happenings.
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District update included a summary of a performance for the Orange County Department of Education by 36 of Newport Coast’s stringed orchestra students. Over 50 teachers and administers were in the audience at the OCDE performance.
This is the first year for the stringed Coyote Orchestra program at Newport Coast, which is going “extremely well,” according to the update. The fourth, fifth and sixth grade students meet with the school’s music specialist, Alanah Ntzouras, for an hour before school.
The district update also included Newport Harbor High School’s Student of the Quarter Breakfast special honor for the school’s Make a Wish Club. The club raised funds for 6-year-old Summer M. to go to Walt Disney World Resort.
